The Chuck ToddCast

Matt Bennett — co-founder and executive vice president of the center-left think tank Third Way — joins the Chuck Toddcast to offer a pragmatist's anxious assessment of what the Mamdani-led DSA surge in New York actually means for the future of the Democratic Party. Bennett's central worry is whether the New York primaries represent a genuine "Tea Party moment" for the left — which he frankly admits would be scary for Democrats — though he takes some comfort in the fact that the three districts Mamdani candidates won are extraordinarily deep blue, and argues the national Democratic electorate simply isn't as extreme as the Republican base, making the party much harder to hijack than the GOP was. Bennett draws a crucial distinction in how these races were actually won: Mamdani himself won on affordability, but many of his endorsees won on Israel, where anti-Israel sentiment has become the number-one voting issue for New York progressives. He's careful but direct on the antisemitism question — not all of the far-left are antisemites, he says, but they are increasingly making common cause with them, pointing to the antisemitic abuse Dan Goldman faced during his campaign — and argues that while antisemitism won't ultimately eat the Democratic Party, it absolutely needs to be contained. Bennett is sharply critical of the self-inflicted wounds of progressive governance (decriminalizing shoplifting was a disaster, he says), and argues the broader problem is that left-coded "performative nonsense" fundamentally changed how voters see the party — that the country rejected both Biden's progressive overreach and the left's woke cultural politics, and that Biden's real mistake was bragging he was the most progressive president since FDR.
The conversation broadens into a rich strategic discussion about 2028 and the soul of the party. Bennett argues that parties are ultimately defined by their nominee, so Democrats will be fine if they simply get that choice right, and frames the Michigan Senate primary — where he's skeptical Abdul El-Sayed can beat Mike Rogers — as a fascinating case study in the tension between charisma and electability. He makes the case that charisma genuinely matters (Mamdani and El-Sayed have it), that "boring doesn't work" in modern politics, and that the biggest open question for 2028 is whether a center-left candidate can successfully run as a genuine change agent — because the status quo is extremely broken, and no one can win by running to preserve it. Bennett offers some encouraging signs for his wing of the party: Iowa is drifting back toward Democrats, James Talarico is a genuinely strong candidate in Texas, and candidate quality still matters enormously. He and Chuck dig into why Palestine became the defining progressive cause rather than the plight of the Uighurs, how social media and the collapse of civics education have sealed people into ideological bubbles, and why the word "socialism" means Norway to some voters and Cuba to others. Bennett argues that Netanyahu has personally turned off a generation of young Americans to Israel — and that if Israelis remove him, it could serve as a genuine relief valve for Democrats — and closes with a series of pointed predictions: Schumer should make clear soon that he won't run for leader again, Warren and Murphy are too far-left-coded to unify the party, both wings could actually rally around Brian Schatz as leader, and the Mamdani story, for all the panic it's generated, is ultimately a minor earthquake rather than a major fracture.
Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/chuck for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.
Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!
From the opening whistle to the final kick. Bet on a match and get bonus bets for every goal scored at Fanduel.com
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Matt Bennett (The Third Way) joins the Chuck ToddCast
01:00 Third Way believes themselves to be center-left pragmatists
02:15 If NY primaries are a “Tea Party moment” for left, that’s scary for Dems
03:30 3 districts Mamdani candidates won are very deep blue
04:00 Worried about MI senate primary if Abdul El-Sayed wins
05:45 The far left could become a disruptive force inside the Dem party
08:00 Mamdani won on affordability, his endorsees won on Israel
09:30 Not all far-left are antisemites, but they’re making common cause with them
10:00 Dan Goldman faced antisemetic abuse during the campaign
11:15 Antisemitism won’t eat the Dem party, but needs to be contained
13:45 Progressive politicians decriminalizing shoplifting was a disaster
15:45 The national Dem electorate not as extreme as the GOP’s
17:30 It will be harder to hijack the Democratic electorate
19:30 Democrats suffered from a lack of charismatic leaders in the 80s
20:45 Parties are defined by their nominee, Dems will be fine if they get it right
21:30 Anti-Israel has become the #1 voting issue for New York progressives
22:45 Why has Palestine become the cause and not the Uighurs?
26:45 Social media and a lack of civics education has put people in bubbles
27:30 You have to be able to talk to people you disagree with
29:00 Socialism means Norway to some people and Cuba to others
32:00 Biden’s mistake was bragging he was most progressive president since FDR
32:45 The country rejected Biden’s progressive change & left’s “woke” culture
35:00 The left coded performative nonsense changed the view of the party
36:15 Al Gore lost as a VP to a popular president, Harris had impossible task
39:30 Could the Democratic base reject someone center-left in 2028?
40:45 The Michigan primary is a fascinating case study in Dem politics
42:00 Being charismatic like Mamdani or El-Sayed matters in politics
42:30 Democratic candidates have to get through the wall in South Carolina
44:15 Big question for 2028… can a center-left candidate run as a change agent?
46:30 Bibi Netanyahu has turned off a generation of Americans to Israel
48:45 If Israelis get rid of Netanyahu, that could be a relief valve for Dems
49:15 What can the establishment learn from the DSA?
49:45 The status quo is extremely broken, can’t run on preserving it
50:45 Iowa is coming back to the Democratic party
51:45 Candidate quality matter and Talarico is a good candidate
53:00 Boring doesn’t work in modern politics
55:30 What does success look like for the center left in the 2026 midterms?
56:15 Skeptical that El-Sayed can beat Mike Rogers in Michigan
57:15 Schumer should make clear he won’t run in 2028 and announce it soon
58:00 Warren and Murphy are too far left and far left coded
58:30 Both wings of the party can agree on Brian Schatz as leader
59:00 Mamdani story is a minor earthquake not a major fracture
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens with a programming note—the ToddCast moves to a Monday/Thursday schedule for July and August—before digging into the fallout from Zohran Mamdani-endorsed candidates sweeping New York's primaries. Chuck unpacks who powered the wins (younger, white progressives), argues that Mamdani's affordability focus rather than his endorsements was the real galvanizing force, and examines how Israel has become a litmus test on a left that, like MAGA, increasingly has little patience for the pluralism Chuck calls the heart of the American experiment—warning that when every issue becomes a litmus test, disagreement turns into something punishable. He weighs whether this is a singular New York moment or a broader realignment in which two uncompromising factions come to dominate both parties, with Abdul El-Sayed's Michigan Senate bid shaping up as the next big test. From there, Chuck turns to Trump blowing a chance to show voters he cares about affordability by refusing to sign a housing bill that already has veto-proof majorities—and how the president keeps making it nearly impossible for the GOP to govern heading into a brutal midterm stretch he's brought on himself. Finally, an alarming look at Pete Hegseth's overt politicization of the military: the firing of respected leaders like Chris Donahue, purges that appear to target officers for their race, gender, what they know, or their willingness to push back on illegal orders, the removal of the JAGs and the Pentagon press corps, and why Chuck argues that whoever Hegseth wants out may be exactly who the country needs leading it next.
Then, Matt Bennett — co-founder and executive vice president of the center-left think tank Third Way — joins the Chuck Toddcast to offer a pragmatist's anxious assessment of what the Mamdani-led DSA surge in New York actually means for the future of the Democratic Party. Bennett's central worry is whether the New York primaries represent a genuine "Tea Party moment" for the left — which he frankly admits would be scary for Democrats — though he takes some comfort in the fact that the three districts Mamdani candidates won are extraordinarily deep blue, and argues the national Democratic electorate simply isn't as extreme as the Republican base, making the party much harder to hijack than the GOP was. Bennett draws a crucial distinction in how these races were actually won: Mamdani himself won on affordability, but many of his endorsees won on Israel, where anti-Israel sentiment has become the number-one voting issue for New York progressives. He's careful but direct on the antisemitism question — not all of the far-left are antisemites, he says, but they are increasingly making common cause with them, pointing to the antisemitic abuse Dan Goldman faced during his campaign — and argues that while antisemitism won't ultimately eat the Democratic Party, it absolutely needs to be contained. Bennett is sharply critical of the self-inflicted wounds of progressive governance (decriminalizing shoplifting was a disaster, he says), and argues the broader problem is that left-coded "performative nonsense" fundamentally changed how voters see the party — that the country rejected both Biden's progressive overreach and the left's woke cultural politics, and that Biden's real mistake was bragging he was the most progressive president since FDR.
The conversation broadens into a rich strategic discussion about 2028 and the soul of the party. Bennett argues that parties are ultimately defined by their nominee, so Democrats will be fine if they simply get that choice right, and frames the Michigan Senate primary — where he's skeptical Abdul El-Sayed can beat Mike Rogers — as a fascinating case study in the tension between charisma and electability. He makes the case that charisma genuinely matters (Mamdani and El-Sayed have it), that "boring doesn't work" in modern politics, and that the biggest open question for 2028 is whether a center-left candidate can successfully run as a genuine change agent — because the status quo is extremely broken, and no one can win by running to preserve it. Bennett offers some encouraging signs for his wing of the party: Iowa is drifting back toward Democrats, James Talarico is a genuinely strong candidate in Texas, and candidate quality still matters enormously. He and Chuck dig into why Palestine became the defining progressive cause rather than the plight of the Uighurs, how social media and the collapse of civics education have sealed people into ideological bubbles, and why the word "socialism" means Norway to some voters and Cuba to others. Bennett argues that Netanyahu has personally turned off a generation of young Americans to Israel — and that if Israelis remove him, it could serve as a genuine relief valve for Democrats — and closes with a series of pointed predictions: Schumer should make clear soon that he won't run for leader again, Warren and Murphy are too far-left-coded to unify the party, both wings could actually rally around Brian Schatz as leader, and the Mamdani story, for all the panic it's generated, is ultimately a minor earthquake rather than a major fracture.
Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.

Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/chuck for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.

Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!

From the opening whistle to the final kick. Bet on a match and get bonus bets for every goal scored at Fanduel.com
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
00:15 Programming Note: July & August the ToddCast will be on M/TH only
03:30 Fallout from Mamdani endorsed candidates sweeping NYC primaries
04:30 Younger, white progressives powered Mamdani’s candidates
05:00 Mamdani was smart about where he spent his political capital
06:15 Unlikely there’s a wider swath of voters open to socialism
08:30 Mamdani’s affordability focus was galvanizing, not his endorsees
09:15 Israel has become a litmus test for some on the left
09:45 MAGA, and increasingly the progressive left don’t appreciate pluralism
10:15 Pluralism IS the American experiment
11:00 When every issue is a litmus test, disagreement becomes punishable
14:00 Many Jewish Americans felt very unsettled by the results
16:00 Is this New York’s moment, or a broader ideological realignment?
17:30 Two factions not interested in compromise could dominate both parties
19:00 Both parties used to move to the center to win elections, less so lately
19:45 The DSA could create discomfort with centrist voters like MAGA does
21:30 The next test will be with the candidacy of Abdul El-Sayed in MI
23:45 Mamdani is an incredibly smart and calculating leader of DSA movement
26:15 Despite better organization, DSA has less chance of taking over the party
29:00 It’s still early, but it feels like the left is on the march
29:30 Trump meets with senate GOP after refusing to sign housing bill
30:30 Trump blew a chance to show voters he cares about affordability
31:00 Trump turned meeting into an airing of grievances
31:45 The bill has veto proof majorities even if Trump doesn’t sign it
33:00 Trump is hurting the Republicans politically ahead of the midterms
33:45 Trump makes it almost impossible for the GOP to govern
34:45 It’s going to be a miserable 2 years for Trump, has only himself to blame
36:00 Pete Hegseth is overtly trying to politicize the military
36:30 Military leadership wants to stay out of the political fray
37:30 One of these generals they force out could become next POTUS
39:00 Chris Donahue is quintessential military leader, fired by Hegseth
40:00 Donahue was viewed as a future chairman of the joint chiefs
41:15 Confirming Hegseth is biggest black eye on the record of Tom Thillis
42:00 All military leaders make personnel changes, this is different
42:30 Hegseth is removing leaders simply for being black or women
44:00 Hegseth is firing people for what they know or what they’ve seen
45:00 He also fires officers for when they push back on illegal orders
45:45 Hegseth removed the JAGS to avoid “legal roadblocks”
47:45 Hegseth is trying to force his religious beliefs on the entire military
49:15 We’ve never had a comparable purge in our military
50:45 The Pentagon removed to the press corp to avoid difficult questions
51:30 This should be extraordinarily alarming to Americans
52:15 Whoever Pete Hegseth wants out… should be our next set of leaders
53:00 We can’t risk the military being turned into a political force
53:45 Damage at DOJ and Pentagon will be hard to repair
01:00:30 Matt Bennett (The Third Way) joins the Chuck ToddCast
01:01:30 Third Way believes themselves to be center-left pragmatists
01:02:45 If NY primaries are a “Tea Party moment” for left, that’s scary for Dems
01:04:00 3 districts Mamdani candidates won are very deep blue
01:04:30 Worried about MI senate primary if Abdul El-Sayed wins
01:06:15 The far left could become a disruptive force inside the Dem party
01:08:30 Mamdani won on affordability, his endorsees won on Israel
01:10:00 Not all far-left are antisemites, but they’re making common cause with them
01:10:30 Dan Goldman faced antisemetic abuse during the campaign
01:11:45 Antisemitism won’t eat the Dem party, but needs to be contained
01:14:15 Progressive politicians decriminalizing shoplifting was a disaster
01:16:15 The national Dem electorate not as extreme as the GOP’s
01:18:00 It will be harder to hijack the Democratic electorate
01:20:00 Democrats suffered from a lack of charismatic leaders in the 80s
01:21:15 Parties are defined by their nominee, Dems will be fine if they get it right
01:22:00 Anti-Israel has become the #1 voting issue for New York progressives
01:23:15 Why has Palestine become the cause and not the Uighurs?
01:27:15 Social media and a lack of civics education has put people in bubbles
01:28:00 You have to be able to talk to people you disagree with
01:29:30 Socialism means Norway to some people and Cuba to others
01:32:30 Biden’s mistake was bragging he was most progressive president since FDR
01:33:15 The country rejected Biden’s progressive change & left’s “woke” culture
01:35:30 The left coded performative nonsense changed the view of the party
01:36:45 Al Gore lost as a VP to a popular president, Harris had impossible task
01:40:00 Could the Democratic base reject someone center-left in 2028?
01:41:15 The Michigan primary is a fascinating case study in Dem politics
01:42:30 Being charismatic like Mamdani or El-Sayed matters in politics
01:43:00 Democratic candidates have to get through the wall in South Carolina
01:44:45 Big question for 2028… can a center-left candidate run as a change agent?
01:47:00 Bibi Netanyahu has turned off a generation of Americans to Israel
01:49:15 If Israelis get rid of Netanyahu, that could be a relief valve for Dems
01:49:45 What can the establishment learn from the DSA?
01:50:15 The status quo is extremely broken, can’t run on preserving it
01:51:15 Iowa is coming back to the Democratic party
01:52:15 Candidate quality matter and Talarico is a good candidate
01:53:30 Boring doesn’t work in modern politics
01:56:00 What does success look like for the center left in the 2026 midterms?
01:56:45 Skeptical that El-Sayed can beat Mike Rogers in Michigan
01:57:45 Schumer should make clear he won’t run in 2028 and announce it soon
01:58:30 Warren and Murphy are too far left and far left coded
01:59:00 Both wings of the party can agree on Brian Schatz as leader
01:59:30 Mamdani story is a minor earthquake not a major fracture
02:00:15 Chuck’s thoughts on the interview with Matt Bennett
02:03:15 Ask Chuck
02:03:30 How much have outlets like Fox News shaped the outlooks of boomers?
02:11:15 Is there a future where large PAC spending burns out due to voter backlash?
02:16:15 Could you talk about Keir Starmer and labours struggles.. Lessons for Dems?
02:23:30 What would you consider the Top 5 presidential actions that worked?
02:29:15 What characteristics define a “Trumpy” voter?
02:32:00 Can the establishment mend fences with the progressives?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens with a programming note—the ToddCast moves to a Monday/Thursday schedule for July and August—before digging into the fallout from Zohran Mamdani-endorsed candidates sweeping New York's primaries. Chuck unpacks who powered the wins (younger, white progressives), argues that Mamdani's affordability focus rather than his endorsements was the real galvanizing force, and examines how Israel has become a litmus test on a left that, like MAGA, increasingly has little patience for the pluralism Chuck calls the heart of the American experiment—warning that when every issue becomes a litmus test, disagreement turns into something punishable. He weighs whether this is a singular New York moment or a broader realignment in which two uncompromising factions come to dominate both parties, with Abdul El-Sayed's Michigan Senate bid shaping up as the next big test. From there, Chuck turns to Trump blowing a chance to show voters he cares about affordability by refusing to sign a housing bill that already has veto-proof majorities—and how the president keeps making it nearly impossible for the GOP to govern heading into a brutal midterm stretch he's brought on himself. Finally, an alarming look at Pete Hegseth's overt politicization of the military: the firing of respected leaders like Chris Donahue, purges that appear to target officers for their race, gender, what they know, or their willingness to push back on illegal orders, the removal of the JAGs and the Pentagon press corps, and why Chuck argues that whoever Hegseth wants out may be exactly who the country needs leading it next.
Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.
Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/chuck for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.
Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!
From the opening whistle to the final kick. Bet on a match and get bonus bets for every goal scored at Fanduel.com
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
00:15 Programming Note: July & August the ToddCast will be on M/TH only
03:30 Fallout from Mamdani endorsed candidates sweeping NYC primaries
04:30 Younger, white progressives powered Mamdani’s candidates
05:00 Mamdani was smart about where he spent his political capital
06:15 Unlikely there’s a wider swath of voters open to socialism
08:30 Mamdani’s affordability focus was galvanizing, not his endorsees
09:15 Israel has become a litmus test for some on the left
09:45 MAGA, and increasingly the progressive left don’t appreciate pluralism
10:15 Pluralism IS the American experiment
11:00 When every issue is a litmus test, disagreement becomes punishable
14:00 Many Jewish Americans felt very unsettled by the results
16:00 Is this New York’s moment, or a broader ideological realignment?
17:30 Two factions not interested in compromise could dominate both parties
19:00 Both parties used to move to the center to win elections, less so lately
19:45 The DSA could create discomfort with centrist voters like MAGA does
21:30 The next test will be with the candidacy of Abdul El-Sayed in MI
23:45 Mamdani is an incredibly smart and calculating leader of DSA movement
26:15 Despite better organization, DSA has less chance of taking over the party
29:00 It’s still early, but it feels like the left is on the march
29:30 Trump meets with senate GOP after refusing to sign housing bill
30:30 Trump blew a chance to show voters he cares about affordability
31:00 Trump turned meeting into an airing of grievances
31:45 The bill has veto proof majorities even if Trump doesn’t sign it
33:00 Trump is hurting the Republicans politically ahead of the midterms
33:45 Trump makes it almost impossible for the GOP to govern
34:45 It’s going to be a miserable 2 years for Trump, has only himself to blame
36:00 Pete Hegseth is overtly trying to politicize the military
36:30 Military leadership wants to stay out of the political fray
37:30 One of these generals they force out could become next POTUS
39:00 Chris Donahue is quintessential military leader, fired by Hegseth
40:00 Donahue was viewed as a future chairman of the joint chiefs
41:15 Confirming Hegseth is biggest black eye on the record of Tom Thillis
42:00 All military leaders make personnel changes, this is different
42:30 Hegseth is removing leaders simply for being black or women
44:00 Hegseth is firing people for what they know or what they’ve seen
45:00 He also fires officers for when they push back on illegal orders
45:45 Hegseth removed the JAGS to avoid “legal roadblocks”
47:45 Hegseth is trying to force his religious beliefs on the entire military
49:15 We’ve never had a comparable purge in our military
50:45 The Pentagon removed to the press corp to avoid difficult questions
51:30 This should be extraordinarily alarming to Americans
52:15 Whoever Pete Hegseth wants out… should be our next set of leaders
53:00 We can’t risk the military being turned into a political force
53:45 Damage at DOJ and Pentagon will be hard to repair
59:45 Ask Chuck
01:00:00 How much have outlets like Fox News shaped the outlooks of boomers?
01:07:45 Is there a future where large PAC spending burns out due to voter backlash?
01:12:45 Could you talk about Keir Starmer and labours struggles.. Lessons for Dems?
01:20:00 What would you consider the Top 5 presidential actions that worked?
01:25:45 What characteristics define a “Trumpy” voter?
01:28:30 Can the establishment mend fences with the progressives?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd breaks down a seismic primary night in New York, where Mamdani-backed Democratic Socialist candidates swept their races — and argues the DSA may be on the verge of becoming the far-left equivalent of the Freedom Caucus, a small but disciplined faction capable of making the establishment's life genuinely miserable. The most stunning data point: Chuck argues Chuck Schumer likely couldn't win a Democratic primary anywhere in New York right now, that Dan Goldman lost his primary handily, and that while Schumer clearly shouldn't run again, politicians rarely walk away on their own. It was also a quietly bad night for Hakeem Jeffries, and Chuck raises the genuinely open question of whether Jeffries would even survive a primary challenge — and whether he still has a clear path to the speakership if Democrats take the House. The strategic lesson the left has internalized, Chuck argues, is that the smaller the Democratic majority, the more leverage a committed progressive bloc can apply, which means Democrats may have to govern in a fundamentally different way than their leadership wants. But Chuck repeatedly returns to the central tension: this brand of far-left politics plays beautifully in coastal cities but the socialist label simply doesn't travel well elsewhere, the rise of far-left politics has become uncomfortably intertwined with rising antisemitism, pro-Israel Democrats may soon find themselves politically homeless, and the real test will be whether progressives can win anywhere outside their urban strongholds. It all amounts, Chuck says, to a genuine fight for the heart and soul of the Democratic Party. He closes with a heartfelt remembrance of former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, who passed away at 100 — recalling a man who always grounded his opinions in data, and what a personal treat it was to have known him.
Finally, skip the reflecting pool… Chuck presents his ToddCast Top 5 list of his favorite Washington D.C. monuments & answers listeners’ questions in the Ask Chuck segment.
Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order.
Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary.
Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/chuck for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.
Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
04:00 Mamdani backed DSA candidates sweep in NY primaries
06:00 Democratic socialists could become the far left equivalent of Freedom Caucus?
06:45 Chuck Schumer likely couldn’t win any Democratic primary in New York
07:30 Dan Goldman lost his primary handily
09:45 Schumer shouldn’t run again, but politicians rarely walk away
10:30 It was a bad night for Hakeem Jeffries, would he survive a primary?
13:30 The left has learned that you can make life miserable for the establishment
15:00 The smaller the Dems majority, the more pressure the left can apply in Congress
15:45 Hakeem Jeffries may not have a clear path to the speakership
17:00 Democrats will have to govern differently if the majority is narrow
19:00 The far left politics play on the coasts, but can it win elsewhere?
21:45 The socialist label doesn’t travel well outside the left leaning cities
23:30 Far-left politics has become intertwined with rise of antisemitism
24:45 Pro-Israel Democrats could become politically homeless
25:45 Big test will be if progressive can win elsewhere
27:45 There’s a real fight for the heart and soul of the Democratic party
29:00 Alan Greenspan passes away at the age of 100
30:30 Greenspan always grounded his opinions in data
33:15 It was a treat to know Alan Greenspan personally
38:15 Chuck’s thoughts on the interview with Mayor David Holt
40:30 ToddCast Top 5 list
42:00 Top 5 historical attractions in Washington DC
44:15 Honorable Mention - Mount Vernon
45:45 #5 The World War I Memorial
47:15 #4 Albert Einstein Memorial
49:00 #3 Arlington National Cemetery
51:30 #2 Korean War Memorial
52:45 #1 Vietnam Veterans Memorial
55:45 Ask Chuck
56:00 Thoughts on the predictions Trump might not finish his term?
01:04:45 Do leaders rise due to the political moment, or do they make the history?
01:11:30 Does George W Bush’s “go shopping” mindset say something about boomers?
01:17:45 Where would you rank the Iran war amongst top presidential blunders?
01:27:15 Why can’t the country ever deal with long term crises in advance?
01:31:45 How do you manage to juggle your busy schedule?
01:35:45 Does Trump’s leadership style hurt the ability to make peace?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt — the popular Republican who has won all three of his mayoral elections with at least 60% of the vote — joins the Chuck Toddcast to make an impassioned and deeply substantive case for pluralism as the foundation of the entire American experiment. Holt, who recently gave a notable speech on the subject, argues that the American system was fundamentally built on the acceptance of pluralism and the idea that compromise should produce something "good enough" rather than perfect for any single faction — and that the founders gave us a pretty good system specifically designed to channel disagreement away from political violence. The problem, Holt argues, is that the system is now actively making compromise harder. He points to closed partisan primaries as a central culprit: because he faces all voters rather than a narrow partisan base, he's incentivized to build consensus, but most candidates today are forced to pass bizarre litmus tests with base voters and campaign on culture-war messaging rather than the bread-and-butter issues people actually care about.
The conversation broadens into the structural and cultural threats Holt sees to a pluralistic society. He argues this era has revealed the long-ignored flaws in American democracy — that we've all taken the system for granted — and makes the case that getting rid of closed partisan primaries, sometimes through ballot initiatives, is one of the most important reforms available, provided it's done in a way that doesn't simply flip parties or states for partisan advantage but instead empowers minority-party voters to act as genuine swing votes. Holt is sharp on education's role in all of this: he worries that the voucherization of schools and the explosion of private schools risk teaching kids in ideological monocultures, and laments the erosion of civics education over the past two decades, noting that public schools deliberately deemphasized social studies after No Child Left Behind. He and Chuck dig into whether pluralism can even be taught or whether it has to be lived in a genuinely diverse place, the difficulty of having a nuanced public conversation about AI data centers, and the housing crisis that Holt argues is not getting nearly enough attention from either the national media or Washington — closing with a concrete look at what a federal housing bill would actually mean for a fast-growing city like Oklahoma City.
Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order.

Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary.
Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/chuck for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.
Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Mayor David Holt joins the Chuck ToddCast
00:45 Was the city in mourning after the OKC Thunder lost?
02:30 Are San Antonio and OKC set to become rival cities?
04:30 The mayor gave a speech about the importance of pluralism
05:15 The American experiment is based on the acceptance of pluralism
06:00 Compromise should result in “good enough”, not perfect for anybody
07:30 The founders gave us a pretty good system to avoid political violence
09:45 Nowadays, the system is making compromise harder
10:30 OKC’s politics mirror the country, went 49-48 for Trump in ‘24
12:00 Won all three mayoral elections with at least 60% of the vote
12:45 Mayor faces all voters rather than closed partisan primaries
14:00 Electoral system needs to incentivize consensus building
15:45 Candidates used to campaign on their ability to work across the aisle
17:15 Messaging from gubernatorial candidates are not bread & butter issues
18:30 Candidates are forced to pass bizarre litmus tests with base voters
20:30 Can you teach pluralism, or do you have to live in a diverse place?
22:15 There are always opposing views that exist even in highly red/blue areas
24:30 This era has revealed the flaws/weaknesses of our democracy
25:30 We’ve all taken our system for granted
26:00 We have to get away from closed partisan primaries
28:00 How do you convince parties in power to open up primaries to more voters?
29:00 Some states can get rid of partisan primaries via ballot initiatives
30:45 The process shouldn’t flip parties or states
32:30 Voters in the minority should act as swing votes
34:45 Voucherization of schools can lead kids to learning in a monoculture
36:15 There’s been explosion in the creation of private schools
38:00 There’s been an erosion in civics education the past two decades
39:30 Public schools deemphasized social studies after No Child Left Behind
41:45 Can the electorate have a nuanced conversation around AI data centers?
43:30 Hard for elected officials to go against the NIMBY crowd
44:00 Politicians have to argue for the positive trade offs
45:15 Bringing in tech and investment used to be good politics, it’s not with data centers
45:45 Housing is the issue that’s not getting enough attention from media & DC
46:45 What would the housing bill do for you in OKC?
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